brunch at the ace hotel | shoreditch

24 October 2014

this blogging lark is honestly one of the best decisions i ever made. let's take the shoes and clothes and opportunities that i've had since starting writing it out of the equation for a moment, and focus on the number one thing that keeps me going on those days where i just cannot be bothered opening my laptop, or heading along to the opening of another envelope, or wondering how much integrity is actually worth; the people you meet along the way.

before i started blogging, i was still pretty new in london. outside my work colleagues (who are very much friends still), any my extended family (consisting of one now-ex boyfriend and my fauxcousinslashactualbestmate rebekah) and their friends, i barely knew a soul. i would sometimes pine for friends at home and wonder if i made the right decision (not for long though - the wondering i mean, not the pining) leaving a happy life behind. but then, as if overnight, this new world of incredibly like-minded girls and boys was introduced to me, and i immediately felt at home.
i had people to confide in, who shared the same social oddities, and who liked me for me, without having even met met. these people would become some of the best friends i'll ever have, and part of that is probably because our friendship isn't over saturated; it's there cruising along in the background, always at the end of a message or call, and definitely always online when you need it. one of those very reliable girls is lynsay. we've offically "met" three times now. on our second meeting she spent the weekend sharing a bed with me. i mean, that's real life, isn't it?

so, whenever lynsay is in london, i make the time to see her; she's a good egg, my sparkle sister, and the only person i know who can fall asleep watching clueless and still be able to keep up with the quotes in her sleep. in other words, she's a keeper. this time around she brought her wonderful fella gary along for the ride, and we three headed to shoreditch's infamous ace hotel for brunch last saturday.
with coffee brewed by lovage and the maple syrup and bacon pancakes straight from hoi poloi's kitchen, the lobby itself really has something different about it. that's before you discover the vintage photo booth (that strangely decided to change my skin colour that day...) in the corner, and try to not disturb all the creative types trying to hit their deadlines while you crack up laughing at the unreal commemorative photography you're now stuck with.

the food was yum, and pretty reasonably priced. the coffee, not so much. at £3 a cup (not mug, cup), it was bitter and smelt a bit burnt. and, i love a coffee, me. i ordered two as well, so... if i'm spending £6 on coffee i kinda expect it to perform a wee song and dance for me. this coffee did not. also, my "short stack" of buttermilk pancakes appeared at first to be three strong. no no, at closer inspection, there were four. and four bits of bacon. the bacon to pancake ratio was not on point, which was devastating, especially as there's no way i was going to eat four pancakes, but was obviously going to devour four rashers of bacon!

there were so many yummy things on the brunch menu, but because we were there before midday, we were forced to order from the breakfast menu, which was a little less inclusive than the former, and meant i missed out on the dripping chips my arteries had their hopes set on. probably a good thing though.....